


I love you, my dear

by indianchai



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: I gotchu, Kinda, M/M, Role Reversal, bc my heart can't take that, both of them are famous i'm so proud, former skater yuuri (though it's only mentioned once), musician au, there's no angst, they'll meet eventually as lilith and victor don't worry, this is complete now lol, victor is just victor, yuri p is featured as yurio, yuuri's stage name is lilith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-16 13:38:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9274460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indianchai/pseuds/indianchai
Summary: Musician au where famous YouTube singer Victor is practically in love with a famous singer/lyricist named Lilith (who has never revealed his true identity to the public). Victor feels compelled to go to Lilith's first show of his world tour (even though he's never met him) and on the flight there, he sits next to this guy named Yuuri, completely oblivious to the fact that Yuuri is his idol, Lilith.or, the one where Yuuri/Lilith accidentally says "I love you, my dear" to a man he has never met before.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu I'm lonely: [this is my tumblr](http://nikifirov.tumblr.com/)

**YouTube Star Victor Nikiforov’s Music is Heavily Inspired by Lilith**

 

_2017 was certainly an interesting, if not amazing, year for those in the music industry. Enigmatic singer/master lyricist Lilith has surprised the world with another Grammy Award, an Album of the Year, for his latest and fourth album “h e a r t b e a t”. With track number two “the problem with courage” being a smash-hit in nearly 28 countries, it is no surprise that Lilith is headed on a world tour that is lovingly called “pulse” by his nearly fifty million fans._

_Lilith’s influence is so powerful that it can play with the outcome of the rest of the music industry, so it seems. Starting off as just a fan covering Lilith’s songs on YouTube, Victor Nikiforov has become quite a sensation for the Internet to behold. After three years on YouTube and after gaining seven million subscribers on his channel “silver”, the young YouTube star was signed to Yakov Records earlier this year. Though he hasn't completely finished it yet, according to his latest string of promotional interviews, his album “ode to transparency” will be debuting late this year. The synth-pop songs on the track are rumored to be an ode to his idol, Lilith, rather than transparency, inside sources had said, and this was confirmed by Victor himself in his last interview. When asked why he wrote his album and what influenced it, the singer sheepishly admitted that the name “Lilith” came to mind first, saying that Lilith “shaped [Victor’s] introduction into music.” Bold words, Victor, but fans love them all the same._

_Regardless, the incredible fact remains that Victor Nikiforov has, like the rest of the world, has never met Lilith outside of his iconic disguise. Furthermore, Victor has never met Lilith at all, which is a shock to both of their fanbases, as Victor bases his songs –whether it be the genre or the general message– on Lilith. Music fans will just have to wait and see if the story unfolds further. Until then, we have to be patient until December for “ode to transparency”. You can wait and pass time by listening to Lilith’s latest album until it debuts. We reached out to both Lilith and Victor Nikiforov for comment, but received no response._

 

Victor sighed, clicking out of the article and shutting his phone off, slipping it into a pocket in his black trenchcoat. He scanned his eyes around the airport warily– he hadn’t anticipated for his last interview to throw the music world into a frenzy. Somehow, hordes of Lilith fans had found their way into his life; he had gained about one hundred thousand subscribers within the past four days. He had to practically live in his studio, as fans and reporters alike swarmed his apartment building. The only thing –or rather, _person_ – barring them from pouring into the studio was Yakov. Eventually, though, he had gotten the chance to go home without too many prying eyes and insensitive questions from reporters.

He fiddled with a button on his coat. Home. He was supposed to be there now, writing the last song of his album with ease.

But he wasn’t.

He had found out that Lilith’s first show of “pulse” was in Los Angeles, and he _had_ to go. Yakov nearly chained him to a chair in one of the recording studios but Victor knew that he couldn't miss this.

“I'll write on one of the planes,” he reasoned to Yakov, sounding infinitely more confident that he would write a life-altering song on a cramped metal tube filled with people he didn't know.

Yakov had been furious, but in the end, he let Victor go, knowing that if he didn't, Victor would be moping for months on end.

Looking back on it, his whole “disguise” for the airport was not a good idea– his favorite black trenchcoat and thick rimmed black glasses made him seem rather suspicious, attracting more attention to his bright blue eyes and grey hair. Victor raked a hand through the silver strands, grimacing slightly as he noticed they were starting to get a little too long for his liking. He would ask Lilia to trim his hair when he got home.

Victor’s eyes scanned a board for his flight number. This was a connecting flight –that's all he knew. Hell, he didn’t even know which city he was in– somewhere in Japan. The last flight he took was so painfully boring that he couldn't even write a full stanza. Instead of working on the song –which he had entitled “satin sunrise”– he had resigned himself to doing “research” and listening to Lilith’s first album.

He arrived a tiny bit late as a result of his last flight being delayed, but he was glad for it. There wasn’t going to be any waiting around, which meant that there was less of a chance that someone might recognize him. As he went through security and finally ended up at his gate, he glanced cavalierly at his boarding pass. _23B_ , it read. An aisle seat. He had wanted a window seat, preferring to see the world grow smaller right in front of his eyes as the plane took off, but he didn’t have a choice in the matter; after all, he had booked his flight extremely late.

Thankfully, he was in Zone One, so he was called into the airplane early. As he made his way down the aisle, he caught sight of a young, black-haired man looking down, scribbling something onto a piece of paper. Victor’s eyes flitted to the row number above the man. _23_. He stowed his carry-on away quickly and slumped into his seat, the weariness of travel seeping into his skin.

He offhandedly glanced at the man sitting next to him.

“Good evening,” he said in slightly accented English.

The man next to him looked up sharply, as if being awoken from a vivid dream. “Same to you,” he said quietly.

The conversation quickly died there, and Victor couldn’t help but be slightly grateful. Brushing his untidy hair out of his eyes, he settled back into his seat. He was just about to fall asleep, eyelids burning with overuse and fatigue, when he heard a bloodcurdling scream. Standing frozen in the aisle next to him was a teenager wearing a YouTube sweatshirt, staring at him as if he had grown an extra arm.

“Oh my God,” the boy stuttered out. “Oh my God, can I have a photo with you?”

Victor smiled kindly, though traces of sweet, syrupy sleep lingered in the back of his mind.

“Of course,” he said, flashing him a grin. “What's your name?”

“Minami,” said the quivering child. “Oh my God, I love your music so much. The 'beneath the ice' EP saved my life.”

Victor smiled genuinely now, his heart filling with something light and airy. “That's something I love to hear. Thank you so much." He snapped a set of photos with Minami, throwing a cheesy peace sign up next to his face in half of them.

“Are you going to LA for the Lilith concert?” asked Minami excitedly.

This piqued the interest of the stranger next to him, Victor noticed. “Yes,” he responded. “I'm looking forward to it.”

The boy squealed, almost tripping over his own luggage, saying that he was going too and something about how cute Victor’s glasses were before he finally headed to his seat, still shaking with the euphoria of meeting one of his favorite singers.

“Lilith?” the stranger next to him said in amused tones. “That's interesting.”

“The whole world knows I'm obsessed with him,” Victor replied rather sheepishly, cheeks tinged with a bit of color. “And he doesn't even know I exist.”

“I wouldn't be so sure.” The man wore a smile that made Victor feel like he wasn’t in on the joke, if there was one.

He fiddled with his hair again, tugging gently at some of the strands. He caught the man staring at him with a curious expression.

“It's getting a bit too long for my taste,” he explained.

The man smiled. “It looks nice on you, actually.”

Victor immediately decided that he would never cut his hair short again.

“What's your name?” Victor blurted out, cheeks burning, unable to contain his curiosity. “I'm Victor.”

“Yuuri.” His answer was simple and short.

“Nice– I mean, that's a nice name.” Victor weakly attempted to further the conversation.

It was unsuccessful.

They settled into an uncomfortable silence: Yuuri reading something on his phone and Victor pulling out his notebook to write.

To Victor’s slight irritation, his mind fell back to Lilith, and what he must be doing right now. He was suddenly overcome with the fact that he was going to be in the same city as Lilith. Hell, he was going to be in the _same venue_.

He wondered what Lilith would look like live. Lilith usually wore a loose t-shirt and jeans, or something vaguely androgynous, other than the drastic measures that he took to cover his face. Victor had known Lilith was of Asian descent, but he quickly started wondering how his face would look, how flushed Lilith must be under his elaborate disguises and the heat of the stage lights... he immediately pushed those thoughts away, shaking his head slightly.

He focused his attention to the notebook on his tray table and wrote “satin sunrise” at the top of the page, scribbling down the meager lines that he had come up with before. He tries to shut out the world around him, focusing on the lines made by his pen.

And though try he did to focus, every so often, he stole glances at Yuuri. Victor’s first look found Yuuri leaning into the grooves of the airplane, knees tucked daintily to his chest, eyes shut tight, and breathing even and steady.

The second glance, which came a few hours later, confirmed that Yuuri was now awake, sipping some Coke and writing something in a bound notebook this time.

The third was more similar to the first– though during Yuuri’s struggle to get into a comfortable position, his plain white t-shirt rode up, revealing just a sliver of what was a monochromatic tattoo of a lily, resting comfortably on his hip. Victor’s mind jumped to a thousand different scenarios, before he brushed them away and continued writing.

Seven hours later, he found himself tapping out a rhythm in his head. He had all of the lyrics _except one couplet_ and it was increasingly frustrating him.

 

_i can’t tell_

_if you’re coming near_

_why isn’t anything i say_

_ever clear?_

 

Victor death-gripped his pen. He was stuck. He had been stuck on this for the past hour. He ignored it, figuring out everything else– the tempo, the background harmonies, the instrumentals. It just needed this one line to finish it.

He was about to give up on it when he was startled by Yuuri’s voice.

“Could it be any more obvious? I love you, my dear,” Yuuri said softly.

Victor hit his head on the tray table. “ _What?_ ”

Yuuri flushed a light pink. “That can be the last couplet. The one that you need. It’s being direct after you were hinting at it in the last few lines.”

There was a slight pause as Victor stared at him incredulously.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have– it was none of my business.”

This pulled Victor out of his stupor. “No– _no, thank you_.” He laughed airily, giddy with relief.

He wrote down the lines sloppily, thanking Yuuri profusely.

“Do you write music yourself?” Victor asked, after a long pause and a swig of Coke. “I noticed you were writing something when I sat down."

The tips of Yuuri’s ears turned pink as he answered. “Just a little bit.”

“I’m sure you’re really good,” Victor said with a smile.

They lapsed into silence once more, but not because of the inherent awkwardness of meeting someone new but one of comfort and something deeper that Victor couldn’t quite point out.

When the flight finally landed, Victor slipped out of his seat, rushed, having almost immediately gotten a call from Yakov as soon as he turned his cellular data back on.

By the time Victor had finished speaking to his producer, he had exited the plane, on the lookout for his driver. Any thoughts of a certain Yuuri had evaded his mind, just slipping past the threshold of conscious thought.

That is, until he had already settled himself into the back of the car. Victor shoved his face into his hands and groaned. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to say goodbye. A flash of Yuuri’s tattoo flashed in his head for a second, lingering as Victor cursed himself for being an idiot.

“Are you alright, sir?” His driver asked him, brows furrowed slightly in concern.

“Yes…” Victor muttered softly. “I'm fine. Please go ahead and drive.”

All thoughts of Yuuri slowly evaporated as Victor's excitement rose exponentially. He was going to see Lilith, at last.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor finally goes to the Lilith concert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu I'm lonely: [this is my tumblr](http://nikifirov.tumblr.com/)

The hotel was much too expensive, but Victor secretly relished the fact that he could afford to stay here, his excitement overshadowing the vague pang of guilt for being so unnecessarily lavish. The ornate, minimalistic hotel had glass panels gathered in elaborate patterns, scattered between ivory pillars that seemed to be endless.

Victor walked to the front desk, dragging his bag behind him.

“Room for Nikiforov,” he said suavely, attempting to stop the tiredness seeping into his voice.

“It’ll be on floor twenty-seven, sir.” The young woman behind the counter feigned nonchalance quite unsuccessfully. He could tell now, when people were “starstruck” and were trying to hide it. Victor felt a strong sense of loneliness consume him, and he found himself wishing that he had someone with him.

A faint spark of anxiety stirred in his stomach as he headed to the main lobby. Yakov had warned him that it might feel that way sometimes, the ache settling in his gut an indication that he was craving to be anonymous. He wished sometimes that he could walk out somewhere without getting recognized or being stopped for a photo. He loved his fans, by God, he _really loved them_. But it was overwhelming at points in his life where everyone else expected him to be at the top of the world. They didn’t realize it was damn cold.

As if he was being tested by a higher power, he heard gasps from the other side of the lobby, just as he was about to make it to the elevator.

A group of teenagers were lounging on the couches, sprawled out and making small talk with each other before a few of them got up and practically ran to him. He did what he always did: he smiled politely, posed in photos with them, and chatted a bit.

Before he bid them good night, however, he asked a favor. “Do you guys not mind posting any photos of me for the next few days? I don’t want the press to know I’m here.”

They assured them that they wouldn’t, and as Victor left, he could feel his heart sink once more, the fatigue getting to him, but more importantly, how tired his lifestyle had made him. He pondered this while blinking hard, and his eyelids burned in protest of his lack of sleep.

 _Just a few more minutes_ , he thought to himself. _Just until I get to the hotel room_.

Needless to say, he didn’t change out of his clothes when he got there, dropping his bag clumsily, hastily kicking off his shoes, and tossing his jacket and glasses aside before flopping face-first onto his bed.

He stayed there, still for a moment, thinking about his favorite singer. Lilith didn’t have the celebrity problem; no one knew what his face looked like. What a relief that must be, going places without any worry about being recognized. Hell, Victor could’ve already met Lilith already and he would have no idea. Victor chuckled silently at this, and his thoughts drifted as he slipped slowly into a warm, hazy sleep.

 

It took a few days for Victor to adjust to the time in Los Angeles. He was glad he had come so early because if he had come any sooner, he might’ve fallen asleep at the worst of times, and far too close to the concert for his comfort.

He liked to stroll in the mornings, overly large shades on, his hand cold due to the frappuccino from the little coffee shop nearby his hotel that he had grown fond of. He sipped it slowly as he walked and tried to look like he had somewhere to go. Technically he _did_ , but not quite yet. The Lilith concert wasn’t for another –he checked his watch– ten _painstaking_ hours.

He would head back to his hotel with a croissant in hand in a few minutes; the streets were crawling with Lilith fans, which made him very happy, but it was tinged with sadness. He was probably nothing to Lilith. Victor had seven million subscribers but he had never felt this insignificant in his entire life.

 _One day_ , he told himself. _These people will be here for me. One day Lilith will travel halfway around the world to see me perform._

He tossed his coffee away; it was getting a bit too slushy for his taste.

The hotel room’s air felt cool on his skin. Despite his attempts to seem casual, he was wearing a Lilith shirt like the utter fanboy he was. He would cover it up with a jacket, he decided.

Victor paced for what seemed like hours, trying to have something interesting to occupy his time. He was beginning to get antsy, stomach twinging with both sheer anticipation and fear. He had gotten tickets in the pit rather than the VIP box, as the box seemed far too detached from the rest of the concert. Sure, you could sit in a fancy room with glass walls and sip on some fancy champagne, but there was no real connection with the audience or more importantly, with the singer.

With his ticket, Victor would be escorted to the very edge of the stage. His biggest fear was that he would be recognized and, being surrounded by everyone else, he would be mobbed by far too many people. He would have to be very careful.

Victor sighed. He stopped trying to force himself to do something, instead opting to call his bassist.

“Oi, Yurio,” he said after the boy picked up, his voice cutting through the silence, reverberating on the thick walls.

“Victor, you didn’t die on the way to LA. Consider me impressed.” Yurio’s voice was on the border of teasing.

“How could I possibly manage to do that, Yurio?” Victor smirked, knowing that the bassist would probably be red with anger; he hated his nickname.

“I don’t even know why I bothered picking up the phone at this point. Try not to get swarmed at that concert.”

The line went dead abruptly, but Victor wasn’t surprised. He had provoked him, after all.

Victor stood up to take off his glasses and put in his contacts. He had half an hour left before his driver would come get him. All he had to do now was get ready, and then wait for the best day of his life.

 

Victor was glad that the car had tinted windows. He could see a line stretching across several blocks. Once more, he thanked his lucky stars that Yakov had managed to get him entrance through the back of the arena.

He was one of the first people to arrive. He pressed one of his hands onto the cold bar separating the pit and the stage, noticing the contrast of the cool metal on his warm hands. Paranoid of being recognized, he tugged on the hood of his jacket, making sure his distinctive hair was covered up as much as possible.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the lights started to dim, and he took off his hood. In less than five minutes, he would see Lilith.

Just as he started to feel comfortable, he heard someone shout “Victor Nikiforov!” and his heart lunged into his throat. He pulled up his hood as far as it could go, cursing himself for not wearing his glasses. More and more people started muttering, repeating his name over and over again. Someone started a chant, and more and more people picked it up, shouting “Victor” over and over, and suddenly half the arena was chanting his name.

His heart felt like it had stopped beating. He was waiting for someone to approach him, to tap him on the shoulder, to give everything away. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to disappear.

“Why is everyone shouting?” he heard someone ask. “Is Victor a guest singer tonight?”

“No, I don’t think so,” someone responded. “I don’t know, people get way too hyped over nothing. He’s still in Russia for all we know.”

Victor was saved from panicking more when a sultry, mellow voice echoed through the arena, eliciting screams and cries throughout the crowd of nearly sixty thousand people.

Victor heard his heartbeat pounding in his ears– louder and louder still– and then he realized that it wasn’t his heartbeat. It was a backtrack thundering through the venue, each resounding beat rippling under the very floor.

“Welcome,” said the voice, laced with an indescribable emotion. The dim lights that were pulsating around the stage suddenly went out. Pitch black darkness enveloped the crowd, just to be replaced with almost blinding red lights as the voice spoke again. “Welcome to my heart.”

Fans roared their approval –even Victor joined in– and the voice chuckled amusedly.

“Even after all these years, you all never fail to impress me. You deserve a reward, don’t you think?” Lilith walked out, wearing a gray t-shirt which had something written on it, but whatever it was, it was being obscured by his black bomber jacket and his masterful headpiece.

Victor felt his stomach do flips as he realized that he was _here_. Tears started to form at the corners of his eyes and he brushed them away quickly, not wanting to have anything obscure his vision.

Lilith was just as beautiful as he had imagined. Victor started experiencing everything around him fully: the scent of smoke, the heat from the stage lights and the bass of the speakers– everything seemed so clear and attractive and it left Victor aching for this moment to last forever.

“How are we tonight, Los Angeles?” Lilith asked playfully. Even though Victor couldn’t see his face, Victor would’ve sworn on his life that Lilith was smirking.

The audience responded enthusiastically, and Victor knew that his ears would be ringing and his voice would be gone by the time he went back to his hotel tonight.

“That’s what I like to hear,” the singer said with approval. He signaled to his band to start playing, and the first bars of “the problem with courage” rang out.

 

_you rush in far too fast_

_a knight without armor_

_defensive to say the least_

_built your stone walls_

_and shut the drawbridge on me._

 

There was real pain in Lilith’s voice, harsh and raspy, and yet something so entrancing that Victor found his heart aching for the man in front of him.

 

_that’s the problem with courage_

_once you had it,_

_you didn’t need me anymore._

_that's the problem with courage_

_once you found it_

_you were coming home at four._

 

Thousands of people sang alongside Lilith, turning on their phones' flashlights, giving off the illusion of an entire sky of shimmering stars. Victor tried his best to sing as loud as he could while still keeping the integrity of his voice– he couldn’t afford to be screaming when he had to record the rest of his album properly when he got home.

Lilith was visibly distressed now, pacing aggressively across the stage, occasionally letting some his fans sing out of his microphone. Finally, he sang the last verse, his voice cracking with emotion.

This was what had attracted Victor to Lilith in the first place. Even if Lilith didn’t have the most powerful voice or the largest vocal range, there was something hidden in the cracks of his voice that was more compelling than anything anyone had ever heard before.

 

_that’s the problem with courage, my love._

Lilith sang softer and softer, his voice thankfully being picked up by the microphone. (Victor made a side note to find out who his audio team was.)

_there isn’t enough courage for me._

 

The cellist continued playing a soft C even after Lilith’s voice faded. Victor subconsciously matched pitch with it, humming a C an octave higher. The lights went out as soon as the cello stopped, and the crowd showered Lilith with cheers and applause that Victor was sure could be heard in St. Petersburg.

The rest of the concert was a blur, Victor eventually giving in and screaming and singing as loud as he could, his voice noticeably strained and his throat much too dry.

And at last, it was time. The last song of the night. Victor had done some ~~stalking~~ research beforehand and found out that Lilith was most likely going to play “self-taught, self-love” as the last song on the set, which was one of the slower songs from his first album. He had played it as the last song for almost every concert he ever held, and it looked like tonight was going to be no exception.

The pianist started playing, low and delightful, and the audience seemed to buzz with approval, as these were the opening notes to “self-taught, self-love”.

But then something _changed_ , and Victor found himself reeling. This was his song. This was _Victor’s song_. And not just _any_ song. This was “beneath the ice”, from the very first EP that Victor had ever put out. Victor thought that he would pass out, the blood rushing to his head far too quickly for him to process what all was happening. He stood in shocked silence –partially because _Lilith_ _was singing his song oh my god_ but also because the audience seemed to know it, singing along with him.

Time seemed to have come to a complete standstill, and Victor’s thought processes came to a screeching halt– he was the only still body among sixty thousand people, gaping open-mouthed at the scene before him.

Just when Victor thought the initial shock was finally beginning to ease, an unearthly roar erupted from the fans. Victor felt like he was floating and that this was all a dream.

Lilith had taken off his bomber jacket, revealing a gray “ode to transparency” shirt, with the name “Victor” on the back in dark black letters between his shoulders.

Victor had never felt this type of emotion in his life, trying his best to stay calm and not jump the gate and hug Lilith with everything he had. The song had started to reach the middle portion now, the volume of the music coming down from deafening to just loud, but for some reason, he felt like Lilith had something to prove tonight.

Victor was right, and he had never been so glad to be right in his life, because Lilith changed the lyrics from the original song to something that made Victor truly feel like he had died, the Earth trembling before him in what he would remember as one of the best days of his life.

 

 _I love you, my dear,_ Lilith sang.

 

It took a moment for Victor to realize that he didn't have to translate in his head what Lilith was saying because oh _god_ , Lilith had just sung the last line in Russian.

There was a spark of familiarity in that line that struck Victor so intensely that he collapsed onto the pit floor. Lilith couldn't have known that line, unless…

The singer strutted across the stage, moving to the beat.

 _This is art_ , Victor thought. _Lilith. Lilith is art_.

Electricity seemed to take its course through his entire body. He leaned forward onto the separating bar even more, watching Lilith dance gracefully.

And then he saw it. All his thoughts jumbled into a mess of emotions and reactions and Victor faintly spotted a tattoo from underneath Lilith's t-shirt. It was a lily. A black and white lily, resting on Lilith’s hip.

Victor’s head felt like it was going to burst. His favorite singer was playing _his_ song and Victor had met him on the flight here.

This was too much. Victor took his jacket off, not caring where it went. He still had his Lilith t-shirt on. Being quite tall, he put his first foot on the bar with ease, using his arms to pull himself up. The second foot came easily enough after that.

“Sir, you can't–” Security had seen him easily enough, but he didn't care. He rushed onto the stage, his own music blaring in his ears, and made for Lilith.

He had come at the perfect time: the piano solo. As he approached Lilith, he could faintly make out the silhouettes of Lilith’s eyes through the headpiece. They were widened in shock, but only for a moment.

The crowd erupted into chaos when Lilith handed Victor Nikiforov his microphone. As he passed it to Victor, he said, “You look better in glasses.”

“I'm sure you can see them some other time, Yuuri.” Victor quipped, making sure the microphone was momentarily switched off.

“I'd like that.”

Victor couldn't tell, but he just _knew_ that Yuuri was smiling.

Yuuri caught another microphone from one of his crew members.

“Ready?” he asked Victor.

“Of course,” Victor breathed.

They sang together, this time with Victor taking the lead and Lilith singing the harmonies.

The song was mesmerizing, thousands of fans enchanted by the haunting effect created by two voices instead of one. Victor, on the other hand, couldn't quite hear the music. He barely took his eyes off of Yuuri the entire time.

As the concert drew to a close, red confetti cannons bursting over the pit, Victor was handed his jacket back by some life-saving fan, and he had somehow lost Yuuri in all the commotion. As he started to leave from the back exit, his heart pounding, he was stopped by security.

“Firstly, Mr. Nikiforov, I would like to warn you against climbing over the separation bar in the future.”

Victor flushed pink. “I'm so sorry,” he said. “Please forgive me. It won't happen again.”

“Thank you,” said the man. “Secondly, I have a message for you.”

Victor’s spirits soared higher than ever before, despite the fatigue of performing catching up to him.

“Lilith would like to see you in his dressing room now. I can take you there.”

Victor smiled. “Who am I to refuse him? Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope to get the final chapter out soon!
> 
> If you want me to write something, please send it [to my tumblr](http://nikifirov.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of good shit happens just read it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu I'm lonely: [this is my tumblr](http://nikifirov.tumblr.com/)

The dressing room was dim, with the yellowish light bulbs bordering the mirror on the vanity the only source of light. Victor’s hair, being as light as it was, reflected the warm glow, appearing gold when he sat still on the single couch.

The security guard had left as soon he ushered Victor into the room, shutting the door a little bit too loudly.

Lilith wasn’t here, much to Victor’s disappointment– he seemed to be in the adjacent room. Victor sat still for a moment, just waiting, the anticipation making his fingers shaky and taking away his ability to breathe properly. The air felt like honey, suffocating his senses.

He heard the door click open, and his head snapped up.

The singer was still wearing his headpiece, and before Victor could say anything, he spoke first, his voice shaky.

“I was going to take it off myself, but…” Lilith took a deep breath. “For some reason I can’t.”

Victor nodded comfortingly. “I understand. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Lilith was silent for a second, and then he laughed heartily, doubling over from sheer amusement and Victor was extremely confused.

“You… you thought…” Lilith plopped himself down onto the couch, facing Victor; the silver-haired man could see almost see Lilith’s face. “Victor, I want _you_ to take it off.”

“Oh.” Victor’s mouth went very dry. “I can do that.”

He reached up carefully, hand hovering over the black piece of fabric. Ever so slowly, he unraveled it, and when he caught sight of Yuuri’s face, his breath hitched.

Yuuri’s skin was flushed, yellow reflecting off of it like a thin sheen of gold, brown eyes wide and dilated. His lips were full and pink, and Victor could see that they were slightly chapped.

“You’re beautiful.” The words slipped their way out of Victor’s mouth, something inherently musical seeping into the air.

Yuuri said nothing. Instead, he leaned in.

Victor flinched, startled for a second, and then he responded. The kiss was full of heat, warmth spreading in the center of Victor’s chest. Yuuri’s fingertips ghosted over Victor’s hair before gently resting on Victor’s neck, sending sparks shooting down Victor’s spine. Victor didn’t realize he was leaning backwards until he felt the seat of the couch touch his back. Above him, Yuri shifted his weight, breaking the kiss.

“You okay?” He whispered, voice raspy. Victor could feel Yuuri’s heart beating through his shirt.

“Yeah,” Victor sighed. “Much more than okay, to be honest.”

Yuuri laughed, and Victor realized that was the best sound he had ever heard in his entire life, better than any music he has ever heard before.

“I would hope that you’re better than okay– I haven’t kissed anyone like that in years.”

“Hey,” Victor feigned hurt. “Who was the last person?”

“Can’t even remember his name, to be honest. My brain goes blank when I’m near you.”

Victor smiled, leaning forward. Just before their lips connected again, he whispered, “Good.”

A few minutes later, they were jolted harshly back into reality when a loud knock echoed across the room.

“Lilith?” A faint voice called. “You in there?”

“Shit, Phichit.” Yuuri nearly fell off the couch in his scramble to get up. Victor watched Yuuri glance at himself momentarily in the mirror. “Do I look okay?”

“What do you mean by okay?” Victor smirked, getting himself into a sitting position, tugging the hem of his shirt down.

“You know…” Yuuri tried to find the words and failed, growing flustered as Phichit banged on the door again. “Presentable.”

“If presentable means thoroughly _ravishing_ , then yes.” Victor winked.

The tips of Yuuri’s ears turned pink. “You’re no help,” he said as he swung the door open.

“Yuuri! You’ve never stayed in a dressing room this long after a concert! I was afraid something ha– _what is that?_ ”

Victor snorted from across the room. “That would be my doing.”

A faint, purplish bruise had begun to appear on the side of Yuuri’s neck.

“Victor Nikiforov…” It took Phichit approximately half a second to get used to him. He turned his attention back to Yuuri. his tone becoming almost comically stern. “ _Yuuri_ , why didn’t you tell me that you have a boyfriend? I would like to think that as your best friend and manager I would have some sort of idea–”

“Phichit, the reason I didn’t tell you is because I met Victor fifteen minutes ago.”

Phichit’s eyes widened, his mouth dropping into an ‘o’ shape. “In that case, here is what you asked for” –he dropped a lanyard into Yuuri’s hand– “and I’m just gonna head back to my hotel.”

He pranced back to the door, only turning to wink at Victor and say “Have fun!” before closing it with a loud thud.

“What’s that?” Victor asked.

“Oh, this?” Yuuri slipped the lanyard over his head. “It’s an employee identification card for this arena.” Seeing Victor’s confused look, he explained further. “I ask for one at every concert I have so I can slip out unnoticed by fans. They don’t know what my face looks like, remember?”

“Yes, I remember,” Victor stood up and approached him, slipping his own hand into Yuuri’s. “I have a feeling that we can’t… _continue_ what we were doing in here; they must be closing everything up.” Victor felt a shot of nervousness hit his stomach. “Would you like to come with me to my hotel?

Yuuri thought for a minute. “We’re going to have to leave separately, but… yes.”

Victor pouted. “Why?”

“I may not be Lilith right now but you’re still Victor. People will wonder why a famous popstar is walking out with an arena employee.”

Victor sighed. “If we _must_ , I think I can last ten whole minutes without you.”

Yuuri smiled gently. “We go our separate ways, then. At least, separate ways to the back parking lot.”

Victor pouts again, overly dramatic, making Yuuri laugh. After a quick peck on the cheek, Victor walked the other way.

He swore he could hear the shell of the words “I love you, my dear” coming from behind him.

 

The hotel seemed happier now that he had someone walking beside him. As he and Yuuri crossed the lobby –a somewhat respectable distance between them– he spotted the same teenagers sitting around.

They were decked out in Lilith shirts, talking loudly about the concert. As he passed, they eyed him, but were hesitant to approach him for a second time.

For that, he was truly grateful.

He grabbed Yuuri’s hand once the elevator closed. Yuuri turned to him, eyes roving over Victor’s face.

“Something wrong?” Victor asked.

“You look… _ravishing_.”

Victor’s lips parted slightly, simply in awe of Yuuri.

This was going to be a long, beautiful night.

 

**_Victor Kicks Off World Tour in Los Angeles_ **

_Exactly one year after the debut of “ode to transparency”, Youtube singer Victor Nikiforov has started his tour, entitled “clarity”. Like his idol-turned-colleague Lilith, he will kick off the first leg of his tour in Los Angeles. After the stage-jumping stunt he pulled at Lilith’s “pulse” tour, we’d all be surprised if Lilith didn’t make some sort of appearance in Los Angeles. Victor has frequently hinted at a collaboration with Lilith, and we couldn’t be more pleased. We would like to think that there was a romance brewing between them, but unfortunately, Victor has a boyfriend (whom he keeps firmly away from the press)._

 

Victor stopped reading the article and turned to face Yuuri.

“When’s our flight again?”

“We have an hour to waste,” Yuuri said, perusing through a magazine lying a side table at their gate.

“Remind we why we booked a redeye flight again?” Victor yawned, reaching over to lace his hands with Yuuri’s.

“You’d prefer to fly to LA from Japan in the middle of the day? You know how much that would mess up your circadian rhythm?”

“Touché.” Victor slumped in his chair. “I’m going to sleep.”

Smiling fondly, Yuuri removed Victor’s glasses, tucking them into his jacket pocket. “I’ll give these back when you wake up.”

“Spasibo, Yura.”

He didn’t get a response back– he felt Yuuri give his hand reassuring squeeze.

Victor woke with a start. He gasped loudly. “ _What’s the matter?_ ”, he said in Russian, forgetting where he was.

“Victor, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

Victor turned to face Yuuri. “My apologies. I forgot where I was for a brief moment.”

“It’s good that you’re awake. Boarding is starting now.”

Victor got up reluctantly, traces of fatigue slipping their way into his actions.

“This is the second time that I’m boarding a flight with you to LA.” Victor said as he snaked his arm around Yuuri’s waist, letting his hand rest on Yuuri’s right hip, fingers grazing the fabric over Yuuri’s tattoo.

“ _Vitya_ …” Yuuri stuttered out, breath heavy. “We’re about to get on a plane for half a day. Is this really the time?”

Victor grinned. “You’re so irresistable– how can I stop myself?”

“Ugh, get a room.” An absolutely disgusted voice rang out from behind them.

“Yurio!” Victor grinned. “Does an airplane bathroom count as a room?”

“Excuse me,” Yurio grimaced. “I’m going to go vomit.”

 

After a rather tiring (for many reasons) flight, Victor and Yuuri shuffled into their hotel room, lethargic and disoriented.

“We should’ve come sooner,” Victor said, beginning to change into something more comfortable. “I think I may sleep through my own concert tomorrow.”

Yuuri tossed a t-shirt at Victor. “Next time.”

Victor laughed. “Planning another world tour?”

“Not a chance.” Yuuri had previously confessed to Victor that he preferred to remain active from a distance, resorting to sporadic bouts of using social media rather than active interaction. His world tour, while thrilling and unique, had drained him of his energy for a long time.

Yuuri flopped onto the bed, taking his glasses off and setting them on the night stand. “Come here– I want to sleep.”

“Your wish is my command.” Victor pulled himself under the covers, initially recoiling because of the cold sheets, but he relaxed once Yuuri snuggled up against him, hair faintly tickling Victor’s neck.

“Your heart’s beating fast,” Yuuri murmured.

“It does that whenever I’m around you,” Victor responded cheesily.

He waited for Yuuri’s response, but the dark-haired man had already fallen asleep, gentle breaths steady against Victor’s chest.

 

The next morning was spent in a dreamlike daze. Victor couldn’t begin to count how many times he’d woken up only to roll over and fall asleep again. When it was finally time to get up and be escorted to the concert, he was half-glad and half-upset to be forced out of bed.

“The car’s downstairs and your designer has your clothes ready at the venue so all you have to do is get up and go.”

“I _could_ do that,” Victor mused, “But it would be rather odd for me to go outside pantless when I know there’s a high likelihood of a media storm brewing in the lobby.”

Yuuri snorted. “That would give the press a field day, wouldn’t it?” He ushered Victor into the bathroom, handing him black jeans. “Put these on, wash your face, and make sure to drink a lot of water!”

“You’re not coming with me?” Victor asked, pouting.

“It’s your first ever world tour,” Yuuri said. “I want you to have the full experience without me getting in the way backstage.”

“But _Yuuri_ ,” Victor whined. “You _are_ the full experience. I want you there before the show.”

Yuuri stood motionless for a second, simply staring at Victor, as if searching for something.

“Very well,” he said finally, moving towards his luggage. “I guess I have to wear something decent now.”

“Please, I’m sure Lilia has something for you at the venue; you know how she is. Always prepared. Just find any old shirt and come along!”

“What about _this one_?” The wicked tone of Yuuri’s voice made Victor look up almost immediately.

“The ode to transparency shirt?” Victor ran a hand through his hair. “Yura, are you trying to kill me?”

Yuuri smirked. “Just a little bit. It’s good to have blood flowing before a concert.” He changed impossibly fast, shirt on before Victor had time to retort. “Gets rid of the nerves, don’t you think?” He said cheekily before exiting the hotel room, leaving a stunned Victor inside.

 

Victor was right about the press. They were like a swarm of bees, and as soon as they saw the pair, they surrounded them. Rather than focus on Victor, they trained their camera flashes on Yuuri.

Yuuri, Victor was glad to see, was completely unfazed. After all, Victor noted, Yuuri had been ambushed by reporters for almost all of his adult life. They moved through the crowd quickly, a bodyguard practically shoving people out of the way. They were outside –almost to the car– when a reporter pushed his way through the line of people, promptly shoving a microphone in Yuuri’s face.

“What makes you think you deserve Victor Nikiforov?” His tone was accusatory and outright aggressive.

Yuuri stopped and turned around amid the chaos. “ _Excuse me?_ ”

The reporter looked taken aback, surprised that Yuuri had actually responded.

“You… you heard me!”

Victor saw Yuuri’s face redden patchily.

“How _dare_ you,” Yuuri’s fists balled. “think that he is something to be deserved, a prize to be won. We _deserve_ each other. Like hell if I’m going to let an asshole like you ruin what we have.”

There was a pause, and Victor grasped Yuuri’s hand, astonished. Then there wasp an onslaught of questions, reporters practically begging them to answer a question.

“Victor! Will Lilith be at your show tonight?”

Victor looked at Yuuri, unsure of what to say. Yuuri made eye contact with him for a long moment, something mischievous glistening in his eyes.

“Yes,” Yuuri answered for him. “Lilith will be there.”

And that’s when all sense of order dissipated into chaos.

 

“To be fair,” Yuuri said in the car, helping himself to a strawberry, “that reporter really pissed me off.”

“So you told them that you would be there. _Lilith_ you.”

“I hope you don't mind,” Yuuri said sheepishly.

Victor chuckled. “Well, I did upstage your first show; it's only fair that you upstage mine.”

Yuuri smiled faintly. “Victor…”

“Yes?”

“I want to do something. Something big.”

Victor gazed into Yuuri’s eyes, examining them for any hints of what he was going to do.

“Tell me.”

 

The concert was in a smaller venue than Lilith’s was, albeit only slightly. Forty thousand people had seated themselves in the arena, nervously awaiting the performance. Victor’s team had handed out blue glow sticks at the entrance, and the entire arena was filled with a deep blue glow.

Victor peeked from behind a stage column at the scene laid out before him, his heart twinging anxiously. Surprisingly, it wasn’t because he was about to sing live in front of thousands of people. He was anxious for Yuuri.

A stage aide tapped his shoulder. “You’re on,” she said.

Victor nodded as she turned his earset microphone on.

“Hello, Los Angeles.” Victor tried to make his voice lower as he stepped out into the bright lights.

Rather than make conversation, he signaled his band to start playing immediately, the deep sound of the bass echoing throughout the venue. As “satin sunrise” had been his most requested song of the night, he had decided to leave it as the last song of his set, opting to play “cultured reality” instead.

 

_cultured reality_

_we disagreed_

_about the things_

_that weren’t plain to see._

 

_the night has_

_much in store_

_for me._

 

The piano picked up, although still faint, and Victor sat down on the platform that had previously been erected in the center of the crowd. He gave his heart to the audience, trusting them to sing the words back. They did, and they did it _well_. Victor felt his heart swell with pride and happiness.

These were _his_ fans. _His_ people.

 

He played a few more songs, often walking between the main stage and the platform, reaching out for as many fans' hands as he could. While singing his second-to-last song, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. He waited until the song he was singing reached the instrumental part.

“Minami?” he said after it had finally arrived.

The boy’s eyes widened as the arena cheered. “Victor… Oh my _God_ , you remember me?”

“How could I ever forget? Redeye flight, wasn’t it?” Victor smiled. He heard the beat of his song start to pick up again.

He faced Minami again. “Want to sing the rest of this song with me?”

He grabbed the boy by the arm and, with security’s assistance, he yanked him up onto the stage.

“Someone get him a mic,” he shouted among the uproar.

It was handed to him almost immediately, and he handed it to Minami.

The boy sang fairly well, especially considering he looked like he was about to faint.

When the song ended and they lowered Minami back into the pit, he was as red as a tomato and clutching his heart. It made Victor laugh.

His attention was drawn back to the stage as a silhouette approached the stage. Onlookers were curious, their focus taken off Victor.

“Who– that can’t be…” he heard someone say.

“My beautiful people, I present to you, _Lilith_!”

Lilith walked onstage, headpiece fastened securely. Lilia had reluctantly allowed him to wear his “ode to transparency” shirt a second time, Victor noted.

Victor’s band started playing again, the instrumentals of “satin sunrise” finding their way to Victor’s ears.

“Ready?” Victor asked.

“Of course,” Yuuri responded boldly.

They started singing together, the harmonies sliding next each other like two skaters on ice: synchronous, smooth, and beautiful. They were nearing the end of the song when a pang of anticipation hit Victor in the gut.

 

_i can’t tell_

_if you’re coming near_

_why isn’t anything i say_

_ever clear?_

 

Lilith approached him from across the stage, and Victor prepared himself for what he was about to do.

He saw Lilith give him a small nod of confirmation.

Gently, he reached to remove Lilith’s headpiece.

Half the audience was stunned into silence, and the other half were screaming like they had been set on fire.

Yuuri looked as gorgeous as ever, the absence of his glasses enhancing his deep brown eyes. His skin was reflecting light again, this time casting back blue from the thousands of glow sticks in the arena.

Without skipping a beat, Yuuri sang again, and Victor joined him in the last few words.

_Could it be any more obvious?_

Victor gazed at Yuuri lovingly, entwining their hands as they sang the last line together.

_I love you, my dear._

**Lilith’s Identity Revealed in Victor’s First Show of World Tour**

_Anticipation for Victor Nikiforov’s first world tour, “clarity”, was clearly high as the singer kicked off his his first show in Los Angeles. But Los Angeles natives were treated to a surprise no one would have expected. Lilith was sure to be around the area the night of the show, but fans got much more than they paid for. After a delightful concert, Victor invited world-renowned singer Lilith up on stage. Nearing the end of “satin sunrise”, Victor did the unexpected: he took off Lilith’s headpiece! Fans were shocked to find that Lilith’s enigmatic secret identity has been right under our noses all along. Lilith is former figure skater Yuuri Katsuki, being in the public eye recently as he and Victor Nikiforov revealed their relationship about a year ago. Let’s all take a minute to stop freaking out._

_After the Los Angeles crowd descended into utter pandemonium, they heard Victor say one last thing before exiting the stage. We talked to a fan afterwards hear what she had to tell us._

_“[...] and then Victor said “This is Yuuri Katsuki, my boyfriend, whom you all may know as Lilith.” And the crowd started freaking out even more. The next thing I know, both Victor and Lilith are gone and the show is over! It was absolutely crazy what our reaction was! We didn’t know what to do!”_

_We, the avid fans of both Victor and Lilith, completely agree._

_[UPDATE]: Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki seen sporting gold rings in St. Petersburg! The press hasn’t been informed of what is in store next for our favorite celebrity couple, but we wish them the best for the future._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ay, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and also hmu [on my tumblr](http://nikifirov.tumblr.com/)! Thanks for reading, y'all. It's been a wild ride.


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